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Bob Lynn's decision to run for mayor wasn't made lightly. "It wasn't an easy decision for me at all."But he sees a need for the community to become more self-reliant as times become more challenging and costs shift from state and federal government to the local level. He says he is willing to listen to and work with all and has demonstrated his ability to help guide decision making: "I have the time to do this, and I have the experience. I'm hoping that I get a chance to try some ideas and see...
Scott Newman decided to run for mayor because he feels "there hasn't been strong leadership, advancing any advocacy towards the big projects in the community like the hospital and in tourism ... I kind of feel like we've had a bit of a dysfunctional process." "We could be advocating more strongly, at a state and federal level for these projects that we have going on, mainly the hospital," Newman told the Pilot in an interview. "I just don't feel like we've been doing enough in that direction....
Heartfelt Appreciation for Your Courage and Dedication To the Editor: We are writing to express our deepest gratitude and appreciation for all the people that showed presence, courage, professionalism, and quick response during the recent active shooter lockdown at the Children’s Center. Your unwavering commitment to the safety and well-being of the children and each other was nothing short of extraordinary. In the face of an incredibly distressing situation, you remained calm and provided reassurance to the staff and children in our care. Y...
There are several contested races in the Oct. 7 borough election. Check out the sample ballots published in this week’s paper to review who is running and to read the ballot proposition asking voters whether Petersburg’s senior sales tax exemption should be limited to low-income seniors only. This Monday, Sept. 15, a live call-in show on the ballot proposition will be broadcast on KFSK at 12:30 p.m. The radio station’s newsroom invites those with questions on the ballot proposition to call in during the show to (907) 772-3808 or email quest...
A regional tribe wants to buy around 10,000 square feet of Petersburg Borough-owned property near the town's Fire Hall. The Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, a federally recognized tribe based in Juneau, has applied to the borough to purchase the plot off Haugen Drive. The tribe wants to build a wireless tower there next summer to provide internet service and expand cell coverage in Petersburg. The Petersburg Borough Assembly considered the tribe's application...
After 35 years working in local public radio - 27 years as general manager of KFSK in Petersburg - Tom Abbott has reached retirement. It'll just require a bit more crisis management before he can fully clock out. In an interview with the Pilot, Abbott said he provided KFSK's board of directors a resignation letter last year, with 18 months built in to pass the torch to the station's next manager. He hoped a successor could be hired and would arrive by this summer and the two could work together...
The window to file for candidacy in Petersburg's upcoming local election closed Tuesday afternoon. In total, 24 people filed for the various positions. There are 20 open seats among several boards slated for the October 7 ballot, including a mayoral race. That race is contested this year, as are the races for Petersburg Borough Assembly and the Public Safety Advisory Board. Current assembly members Bob Lynn and Scott Newman are both running for mayor. Mayor Mark Jensen is not running for...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly unanimously approved moving forward with a $700,000 sewer line repair project at the Petersburg Aquatic Center during its Monday meeting. The vote authorizes the borough to seek bids for replacing approximately 150 feet of sewer lines beneath the slab concrete floors of the aquatic center's locker rooms, where drains have become disconnected from the main sewer system. "We have a few lines, especially in the family locker room, that are plugged completely with...
Three candidates are now vying for two Petersburg Borough Assembly seats as the candidate filing deadline approaches, with incumbent Donna Marsh joined by challengers Raliegh Cook and Bob Martin. Assembly member Scott Newman, whose term is up this fall, remains the only candidate for mayor, seeking to replace Mark Jensen, who announced in June he would not seek reelection after 18 years in elected office. Fifteen candidates have submitted paperwork to Borough Clerk Rebecca Regula since the...
Wrangell Police Chief Gene Meek has started a public safety campaign to enforce new e-scooter regulations through education and enforcement. The police department posted a safety video Monday, Aug. 11, on YouTube and other social media platforms. The video demonstrates proper scooter operation, hand signals, safety lighting and traffic law compliance. “I think the immediate concern is getting the scooters off of public sidewalks,” Meek said. “With this being an older community, having someo...
Petersburg Borough Assembly Member Scott Newman has filed to run for mayor, making him the first declared candidate to replace Mark Jensen, who announced in June he would not seek reelection after 18 years in elected office. Ten candidates have submitted paperwork so far to Borough Clerk Rebecca Regula since the filing window opened July 29. Candidates have until 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 26 to file for positions on the Oct. 7 ballot. Raliegh Cook has filed to run for borough assembly. Two assembly...
Drop The Charges To the Editor: I applaud and thank Mr. Hankins for his initiative and action in disposing of the bear on Rambler St. That particular bear was an ongoing problem and danger to our neighborhood. It was continually using our fence line as a path. Numerous calls and police response failed to deter it. State law must be changed to include the rights of a community to dispatch bears within their jurisdiction when found to have the real potential to cause harm. Our trampoline is within a couple of feet of that bear’s pathway. My k...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly narrowly rejected a resolution Monday that would have authorized police to dispatch approximately four black bears that Petersburg Police Chief James Kerr says his officers have identified through repeated unsuccessful attempts at non-lethal deterrence. The resolution failed by a single vote after Kerr presented evidence of what he described as "learned behavior" by specific bears. "We've tried paintballs, pepper balls," Kerr told the Pilot. "Pepper balls is like...
We Deserve More Than Shrugs To the Editor: I’m writing because my patience has completely run out. For months, my garbage cans have been pillaged by bears while the troopers and Fish and Game do absolutely nothing – unless you count shrugging, handing out useless advice as ‘action’ and threats of fines. Frankly, I’m tired of watching my street turn into a dumpster buffet for wildlife while the powers that be don’t lift a finger. It’s bad enough that I have to spend my mornings cleaning up after oversized, uninvited guests. Worse, our kids have...
The administration of Gov. Mike Dunleavy has signed a $28.5 million contract for work on a new ferry terminal north of Juneau, days after an oversight board said the state had not proved that the project is economically viable. Dunleavy administration officials say the new terminal at Cascade Point, located 30 miles north of an existing terminal in Auke Bay, will cut ferry time from Juneau to Haines and Skagway by two hours. But the chair of the Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board — which was created by Dunleavy four years ago — says the...
An application by Dave Ohmer to purchase two borough-owned lots and develop them into rental duplexes came before the Petersburg Borough Assembly on Monday evening, after being unanimously recommended for approval by the Planning Commission earlier this month. The application needed four votes to be approved. Assembly Member Rob Schwartz and Mayor Mark Jensen were absent from the meeting. Assembly Members Bob Lynn, Jeigh Stanton Gregor and James Valentine voted in favor of the land sale. Vice...
The Petersburg Borough will seek state funding for a potential float replacement project in the town’s biggest harbor. Some of “C” Float’s 50-foot fingers are several decades old. “These are circa 1970 original Middle Harbor finger floats that were repurposed in 1985 when the South Harbor was built,” Harbormaster Glorianne Wollen said. “So they saved a little bit of money, and now we get to pay for it.” At a meeting on July 21, Petersburg’s assembly agreed the borough should apply for the $617,000 state grant to help fund the float replacement...
Vice Mayor Donna Marsh violated the public's trust during Monday’s assembly meeting. When presiding over the assembly’s decision whether or not to sell two borough lots for development into duplexes for affordable rentals, Marsh did not disclose that the neighbors fervently opposing the land sale are her parents-in-law. Instead of disclosing the potential conflict of interest and recusing herself from the decision, she voted to block the land sale. I recognize the difficult decision the assembly members grappled with on Monday: Should the bor...
The U.S. Forest Service has received approval to resume aviation operations in Southeast Alaska after a flight moratorium that halted much of the forest management work across the region's remote federal lands. "The Tongass National Forest has recently received approval to move forward with securing aviation support for its work," Paul Robbins Jr., Public Affairs Officer for the Tongass National Forest told the Petersburg Pilot on Friday. "Due to the geographic layout of Southeast Alaska and...
Petersburg's police chief sued his employer, the Petersburg Borough, and the two parties have officially resolved the matter with an out-of-court settlement. That means the remaining claim about the chief's First Amendment rights will not go to trial this summer. Police Chief James Kerr testified against enforcing a masking mandate during a fall 2021 borough assembly meeting. He said he was speaking as a private citizen. This ultimately snowballed into a multi-year legal battle between Kerr and...
The recently passed budget reconciliation bill, signed into law by President Donald Trump last week, does not include U.S. Senator Mike Lee's (R-Utah) withdrawn proposal that could have potentially sold off areas of the Tongass and Chugach National Forests and parts of the Interior in Alaska. But even so, the Petersburg Borough is going on the record against selling public lands. At a meeting on Monday, assembly members and community members voiced support for the borough resolution that formall...
Significant cuts to Medicaid alongside impacts to Medicare are included in the budget reconciliation bill signed into law by President Donald Trump last week. Alaska is second only to New Mexico in the highest rate of people using Medicaid. About 38% of Alaskans are on it, according to the state's Department of Health. Medicaid is a health insurance option for low-income people, and Medicare is a federal program providing health insurance for eligible seniors and people with disabilities. Much...
For the past few years, the Petersburg Borough has been working to bolster its fleet of diesel generators to be better prepared for power outages when the hydropower system fails. On Monday, the Borough Assembly took one step closer by awarding a contract to GD Partners to manufacture a new generator part for up to $274,000. The part is crucial for Petersburg’s in-progress Scow Bay diesel generation project. The borough already bought the new diesel generator and is storing it in Texas right now. But for the generator to work properly, it n...
In an effort to generate money for essential services, Petersburg voters will be asked this fall whether to impose income limits for the community's senior sales tax exemption. That's after the Petersburg Borough Assembly approved the proposal on Monday, June 16. The change would limit the decades-old exemption to only low-income seniors who qualify for the state's Senior Benefits Payment Program, with annual incomes below $34,213 for individuals or $46,253 for couples. Revenue from...
Scammers posing as Petersburg Borough Planning and Zoning Director Liz Cabrera sent official-looking emails soliciting payment of nearly $5,000 to at least two individuals with pending applications before the planning commission this month, prompting borough staff to change how they handle applicant information. The fraudulent emails, which included detailed invoices, were sophisticated enough to alarm local officials despite both targeted applicants recognizing the scam before losing money....
